Field goal return lifts No. 4 Auburn over No. 1 Alabama

Saturday

Nov 30, 2013 at 8:56 PM

No. 4 Auburn 34, No. 1 Alabama 28: Chris Davis returned a missed field goal attempt more than 100 yards for a touchdown on the final play to lift No. 4 Auburn to a home victory over No. 1 Alabama on Saturday, upending the two-time defending national champions' BCS hopes and preserving the Tigers' own.

Davis caught the ball about 9 yards deep in the end zone after freshman Adam Griffith's 57-yard attempt fell short. He then sprinted down the left sideline and cut back with nothing but teammates around him in a second straight hard-to-fathom finish for the Tigers (11-1, 7-1 Southeastern Conference).

Auburn clinched a spot in the SEC championship game with the stunning victory over the powerhouse from across the state. The Crimson Tide (11-1, 7-1) seemed at several times poised to continue its run toward the first three-peat in modern college football.

Instead, the Tigers put it away just when overtime seemed their best hope.

Alabama had gotten 1 second restored and one more play after a review when T.J. Yeldon ran it to Auburn's 39.

That gave the Tide a chance to try the long field goal — and now it probably wished it never did.

The entire field was flooded with orange shakers long after the climactic finale of one of the biggest Iron Bowls in the bitter rivalry's 78-year history.

It lived up to the billing — and then some.

This finale even one-upped Auburn's last-gasp win over Georgia two weeks earlier. A deflected 73-yard touchdown catch dubbed ''The Immaculate Deflection'' by Ricardo Louis with 25 seconds left set up only the second top-five Iron Bowl matchup and first since 1971.

A team that went 3-9 last season and had been destroyed by Alabama, 91-14, combined the past two seasons will play for an SEC title and perhaps a trip to the BCS championship game.

No. 2 Florida State 37, Florida 7: Jameis Winston threw three touchdown passes to Kelvin Benjamin, and the visiting Seminoles moved a step closer to playing for the national championship with a victory over the Gators on Saturday.

Florida State improved to 12-0 for the first time since 1999 and likely will earn a spot in the Bowl Championship Series title game with a win over Duke in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game next Saturday.

Florida, meanwhile, ended its worst season since 1979.

The Gators (4-8) lost their final seven games and missed a bowl for the first time since 1990. Florida's bowl streak had been the second-longest in the country, behind Florida State.

Although the outcome was never in doubt, the Gators made it interesting early with some stout defense. They hit Winston several times, even late once, and stuffed FSU's running game. But with its offense floundering once again — Florida managed just three first downs in the first half — the defense eventually wore down.

No. 3 Ohio State 42, Michigan 41: Tyvis Powell intercepted Devin Gardner's pass as the host Wolverines went for a go-ahead 2-point conversion with 32 seconds left, and the Buckeyes held on for a victory in one the most thrilling games in the history of the storied Big Ten rivalry.

Gardner threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Devin Funchess to make it 42-41, but instead of kicking for the tie, Wolverines coach Brady Hoke went for the lead with his offense.

Gardner tried to zip a pass into traffic near the goal line, but Powell came up with it. Buckeyes cornerback Roby Bradley recovered the onside kick to seal Ohio State's 24th consecutive victory and keep its national championship hopes alive.

Braxton Miller accounted for five touchdowns for Ohio State (12-0, 8-0) and Carlos Hyde ran for a 1-yard score with 2:20 left to make it 42-35. Gardner threw four TD passes for Michigan (7-5, 3-5).

No. 9 Baylor 41, TCU 38: Bryce Petty threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, Baylor returned two interceptions for scores and the Bears hung on for a road win.

The Bears (10-1, 7-1 Big 12) scored 21 straight points on either side of halftime with just 1 yard from their high-powered offense and bounced back from a blowout loss at Oklahoma State to maintain their hopes for a share of the conference title.

Baylor could win the league outright and qualify for a BCS bid, likely the Fiesta Bowl, if it beats Texas and the Cowboys lose to Oklahoma next Saturday.

The Horned Frogs (4-8, 2-7) were in position to tie in the final seconds, but Casey Pachall threw his third interception on a pass tipped by receiver Brandon Carter and grabbed by Baylor's Terrell Burt in the end zone with 11 seconds left.

No. 11 Michigan State 14, Minnesota 3: Jeremy Langford ran for 134 yards and a touchdown, and the host Spartans wrapped up an unbeaten regular season in Big Ten play with a win over the Golden Gophers.

The Spartans (11-1, 8-0) finished a perfect Big Ten regular season for only the third time. They also did it in 1965 and 1966, when they only had to play seven conference games.

Michigan State will face Ohio State in the Big Ten title game next weekend. The Spartans had already wrapped up the Legends Division title, but there was no letdown against Minnesota (8-4, 4-4).

The Spartans' top-ranked defense forced three turnovers and kept the Golden Gophers out of the end zone, repeating a formula that has brought Michigan State within a win of the Rose Bowl.

Penn St. 31, No. 14 Wisconsin 24: Christian Hackenberg threw for 339 yards and four touchdowns, and visiting Penn State pounced on a slew of blunders before holding off a late rally to upset Wisconsin.

Hackenberg, a freshman, showed the poise of a veteran in dissecting a tough defense. Eugene Lewis caught two touchdowns, including a 59-yarder for a 17-point lead with 13 minutes to go.

The Nittany Lions (7-5, 4-4 Big Ten) secured a statement win against a team that had been dominant all year at home. Joel Stave threw for three touchdowns for Wisconsin (9-3, 6-2), though Penn State capitalized on second-half interceptions, turning one into Lewis' long TD.

The Badgers got within a touchdown late, but were picked off in the end zone with 1 second left.